Active Low-Carber Forums
Atkins diet and low carb discussion provided free for information only, not as medical advice.
Home Plans Tips Recipes Tools Stories Studies Products
Active Low-Carber Forums
A sugar-free zone


Welcome to the Active Low-Carber Forums.
Support for Atkins diet, Protein Power, Neanderthin (Paleo Diet), CAD/CALP, Dr. Bernstein Diabetes Solution and any other healthy low-carb diet or plan, all are welcome in our lowcarb community. Forget starvation and fad diets -- join the healthy eating crowd! You may register by clicking here, it's free!

Go Back   Active Low-Carber Forums > Main Low-Carb Diets Forums & Support > Low Carb Health & Technical Forums > General Health
User Name
Password
FAQ Members Calendar Mark Forums Read Search Gallery My P.L.A.N. Survey


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1   ^
Old Sat, Mar-03-18, 08:57
LizardQuee LizardQuee is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 47
 
Plan: semi-lowcarb
Stats: 242/199/170 Female 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 60%
Default My body is a mess - euthyroid sick syndrome?

I'm not sure if this is in the right place or not but I will start here:

For some history, I was here once before and lost 70 lbs on low-carb (25-50 g/day) . Life happened and I gained it all back by about 2 years later.

Since that time I've been sort of half-azzed low carb - always watching them and trying not to go beserk, with occasional benders of way too many carbs for too long. Bad, I know.

My weight has been mostly holding steady at 240 (I am 5'9").

Just after New Years this year I decided to go back and try to dump the weight again once and for all, starting out at 20 g a day .

I FEEL LIKE CRAP since I did that. Shakes, tachycardia, brain fog, water retention, high blood pressure (am on a low dose of Losartan for it now), low body temperature (96-97), shedding hair, weight not budging (lost 2 lbs of water but thats back now), insomnia at night, hoarse voice.

My thyroid was tested - my TSH is in the normal range at 1.44. Doc refuses to test further as "your thyroid is fine".
I had a catscan of my head for an unrelated issue and I have no nodules there.

I felt so bad I even went to the urgent care last week feeling like I was going to collapse. Everything was fine there too (EKG and bloodwork). Diagnosis = "fatigue".

A compounding factor has been that I have been chronically iron deficient for the last 5 years because of a bleeding hiatal hernia, which I am on PPIs for (I hate them but its that or that nasty surgery where they wrap your stomach around itself and I'm not prepared for that yet).
My blood counts are currently fine but I AM low on ferritin and I am working on that with iron pills. So that is a factor but not the whole story.

Yes, I am eating enough (1800-2200 cal/day), yes I am eating enough fat (most of it), yes my electrolytes are ok as I have been drinking Zero carb electrolyte drinks and not sparing the salt on my food despite the blood pressure.

After feeling this bad for nearly 2 months I caved this week and started adding carbs back in - not a ton but up to 15/g per meal for a total of about 60 per day.
My temp has gone up a bit, the blood pressure is going down some and the brain fog is better but the insomnia is still there and I've gained two pounds.

I read that you need carbs to convert T4-T3 , and I have a strong feeling that I am exceedingly short on the active thyroid hormone (because all my symptoms look like hypothyroid even though my TSH is fine) , and when I eat carbs it starts converting better and the symptoms improve, for a little while .
And when I'm too low carb the brain seems to run out of glucose and the sympathetic nervous system cranks itself up, dumps adrenalin into me and my bp goes up and I can't sleep and start to shake.

And whats really bizarre is that I was RAVENOUS on the 20 g carbs a day but now am no longer starving now that I boosted the carbs up. I was constantly snacking with the carbs that low as I was hungry 2 hours after bacon and eggs (completely opposite to how it was when I first started low carb 7 years or so ago). Adding a half cup of oatmeal (14 g carbs) to that bacon and eggs now keeps me not-hungry for 5 hrs or so.

And for the record, when I lost all the weight on Atkins the first time I never really adapted to it all that well, I just toughed it out. I had the same shakes and brain fog that time for nearly the full 4 months that I was on it but not the blood pressure issue (which honestly has been down right scary this time - 160/100 when its bad).

So NOW what the hell do I do? It looks like I cant tolerate keto anymore but I cant lose weight any other way, or couldn't in the past.
This has got to be more than just the Keto Flu because it never goes away , but I can't try to just tough it out because I cant be walking around with stroke-level blood pressure on 3 hours of sleep for months on end.

I'm at the point where I dont even care about the weight, I just dont want to feel like brain-dead dung anymore.

My regular doctor is utterly useless, so i have an appointment at a naturopath on Monday .

Has anyone had problems like this? Any ideas?
Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #2   ^
Old Sat, Mar-03-18, 09:58
JEY100's Avatar
JEY100 JEY100 is offline
Posts: 13,340
 
Plan: P:E/DDF
Stats: 225/150/169 Female 5' 9"
BF:45%/28%/25%
Progress: 134%
Location: NC
Default

Going back to your original post in 2006, you had similar reactive hypoglecemia symptoms then, and your doctors didnt help you then either.

Good plan to find a new doctor familar with LC.**

In the meantime, I think the Eades program works well and he has some excellent tips for doing LC "the second time around", the most common being that you "remember" the "extras" from later in the journey rather than following induction closely. See if any of these tips here help you.

https://proteinpower.com/drmike/201...w-carb-dieters/


**How to Find a Doctor Supportive of LowCarb/Keto/Paleo/Primal Diets

There are a number of resources to help you find medical care supportive of a reduced carbohydrate way of eating. Some lists include not only medical doctors, but chiropractors, naturopaths, nutritionists, RDs, etc. Some are for general practitioners, some for Obesity specialists. With any recommendation, check the website/reviews or phone the office directly to learn more about the doctor’s philosophy on diet.

ObesityMedicine.org (New name for the ASBP)
Click Find a Clinician. Members may use other non-surgical plans, not necessarily a LC diet, but many are now being trained in LC by Eric Westman, chairman and past president. (US and Canada)

FoodMed’s Low Carb Map of the World (International): http://foodmed.net/gd-home/

Public Health Collaboration. Map of UK GPs https://phcuk.org/map/ Also map for Nutritionists and Ambassadors who may help you find supportive real food health care./

Re-Find Health: https://re-findhealth.com (was Primal Docs) (International)

Paleo Physicians Network: http://paleophysiciansnetwork.com (International)

Canadian Physicians signed LC petition: https://www.dietdoctor.com/200-cana...tary-guidelines (Currently 2600 doctors per this op-ed, http://vancouversun.com/opinion/op-...right-this-time)

Ketogenic.com. Find a clinician. https://ketogenic.com/tools/keto-clinicians-finder/ (US and Canada)

Find a Low Carb Doctor (Jimmy Moore’s list): http://lowcarbdoctors.blogspot.com

Institute for Functional Medicine: https://www.functionalmedicine.org
Click Find a Practitioner. Functional Medicine addresses the underlying causes of disease. Diet may not be low carb, but real food.


There are also many Low Carb RDs and Diabetes Educators around the world, and most offer consulting via Skype. In addition to above resources
http://authoritynutrition.com/11-pa...ans-with-blogs/
https://lowcarbrn.wordpress.com
http://www.lowcarbdietitian.com

And of course, Google Low Carb physician plus location.
Reply With Quote
  #3   ^
Old Sat, Mar-03-18, 14:35
LizardQuee LizardQuee is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 47
 
Plan: semi-lowcarb
Stats: 242/199/170 Female 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 60%
Default

Yeah this is a lot like round 1 (I didnt realize it had been so long ago) but worse, because now high blood pressure is involved and there is zero weight loss going on.

I'm not hopeful about finding a lowcarb doc up here (I live in the middle of nowhere) but have a few possibilities of at least open minded ones here if the naturopath doesnt pan out.

The closest private lab is nearly 3 hours away so I cant even pay for my own blood work without driving 300 miles round trip grrrrrr.
Reply With Quote
  #4   ^
Old Sat, Mar-03-18, 20:39
nawchem's Avatar
nawchem nawchem is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 8,701
 
Plan: No gluten, CAD
Stats: 196.0/158.5/149.0 Female 62
BF:36/29.0/27.3
Progress: 80%
Default

I'm betting adrenals, thyroid possibly from iron, rT3. That TSH test should just be used for pituitary.

I had a terrible time with LC from the start, I only feel strong and my body works more like everyone else's when my thyroid is right. Honey if the Naturopath doesn't order it do this yourself: free T4, free T3, rT3. Free T3 and rT3 need to be on the same blood draw. I believe I have read that high bp can be a hypothyroid symptom. Antibodies to thyroid - I think its called peroxidase test is important too.

Losing weight on higher carbs is another little clue. Your weight gain may be more from low metabolism thyroid then insulin resistance. Also related unstable blood sugar- hypoglycemia. That's a standard lab test. In retrospect, I wish I had insulin and glucose measured at the same time.

I have found 2 terrific thyroid drs from the mary shomon list on about.com. Here is the link:

http://www.thyroid-info.com/topdocs.htm

Tachycardia was my first noticeable thyroid symptom. No one ever told me that, one day I heard Dr. Oz make the connection. Of course a cardiologist. Faded away when I went on thyroid medication.

I hope this helps!

Last edited by nawchem : Sat, Mar-03-18 at 20:48.
Reply With Quote
  #5   ^
Old Sat, Mar-03-18, 20:55
nawchem's Avatar
nawchem nawchem is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 8,701
 
Plan: No gluten, CAD
Stats: 196.0/158.5/149.0 Female 62
BF:36/29.0/27.3
Progress: 80%
Default

Mary Shomon's site has a lab they recommend. Its $175 for the complete thyroid panel.

The MyMedLab Thyroid Complete was designed by thyroid expert, patient advocate and author, Mary Shomon. The combination of tests is designed to evaluate both major thyroid hormone levels (FT3, FT4, TSH) as well as for the presence of the body's autoimmune response (Anti-thyroglobulin Ab, Thyroid Peroxidase) for a comprehensive evaluation of potential problems.

The group of tests provide a simple and affordable way to receive an unbiased evaluation of your current thyroid health. The initial test results will help you establish your baseline values that can be used for comparison to future results. It includes the following tests.

Click the test name for more information.

Thyroid (TSH)
Free T4 (FT4)
Free T3 (FT3)
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody (TPO)
Thyroid Antibody (Anti-thyroid AB)
Reply With Quote
  #6   ^
Old Sun, Mar-04-18, 10:11
LizardQuee LizardQuee is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 47
 
Plan: semi-lowcarb
Stats: 242/199/170 Female 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 60%
Default

Yeah it does seem thyroidal, all the symptoms are there. And the ferritin is a big problem, I've been in single digits of it for 5 years now.

I need to is go doc shopping, I am sick of this a-hole. I've had my own tests done in the past via Quest but the nearest lab is 2.5 hours away one way, in New Hampshire.
I don't mind paying or driving but it means a day off work just to get a damn blood test that my insurance should be covering if my docs weren't idiots.
And there are no docs on any of those lists within a 200 mile radius of where I live .

I had another thought yesterday that could be a confounding factor - iodine deficiency.
I don't do much dairy because it screws up my guts, I don't eat bread for obvious reasons, hubby hates seafood so I rarely cook it, and I cut out a lot of salt because of the high blood pressure.
The only real source of it I have is eggs and whatever is in the meat and vegetables I eat.

Hopefully this guy tomorrow is on the ball, if hes not I'll be driving to New Hampshire and stocking up on kelp.
Reply With Quote
  #7   ^
Old Sun, Mar-04-18, 23:34
nawchem's Avatar
nawchem nawchem is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 8,701
 
Plan: No gluten, CAD
Stats: 196.0/158.5/149.0 Female 62
BF:36/29.0/27.3
Progress: 80%
Default

On the plus side you probably don't have a lot of daily traffic to deal with.

Thyroid is the one area drs don't want to give you medication, for they can lose their license if you have serious consequences. Don't lead with weight loss as your primary motivation. After you see a doctor once I think its at least one year they can treat you without seeing you again. Under your circumstances the doc might work with you. The supplements my dr recommended were iodine, selenium and B12 and vit D. The only one I regularly remember is D.

Hopefully, the naturopath will be awesome and you can get at least a glucose tolerance test and/or the thyroid.
Reply With Quote
  #8   ^
Old Tue, Mar-06-18, 19:54
LizardQuee LizardQuee is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 47
 
Plan: semi-lowcarb
Stats: 242/199/170 Female 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 60%
Default

I lucked out with the naturopath - he's gonna test EVERYTHING and I dont have to drive to NH and my insurance will cover the lab work (though not his office visit). I'm fine with that.

He thinks most of my problem is coming from my iron issue - I've been fighting with a bleeding hiatal hernia for 5 or so years and my ferritin has been in single digits for that entire time.
So now I'm pounding down iron pills and red meat. Everything tastes like metal so its doing a good job of quashing my appetite.

Since I restarted the iron the shaking has gotten a lot better. Whether is the increased carbs kicking in, the iron kicking in , or the adaptation finally happening I dont know. But I'll take it.
Reply With Quote
  #9   ^
Old Wed, Mar-07-18, 03:17
JEY100's Avatar
JEY100 JEY100 is offline
Posts: 13,340
 
Plan: P:E/DDF
Stats: 225/150/169 Female 5' 9"
BF:45%/28%/25%
Progress: 134%
Location: NC
Default

Reply With Quote
  #10   ^
Old Sat, Mar-10-18, 07:09
LizardQuee LizardQuee is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 47
 
Plan: semi-lowcarb
Stats: 242/199/170 Female 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 60%
Default

Got some of the blood work back last night:

Name value range

vit D 37.9 30 - 100
folate 12.2 > 5.4
b12 652 211 -911

Iron 43 37-170
ferritin 13 10-291

TSH 1.20 .47 -4.68
free T4 1.4 .8 - 2.2
free t3 3.2 2.8 - 5.3

HgA1C 5.4
fasting glucose 82

Hemagram:
hemoglobin 12.6
hematocrit 38.2

Everything normal except for the following:
low mcv and mch
high rdw-cv and rdw-sd
anisocytosis and hypochromia +1


Clearly the iron is a problem, both in the iron/ferritin numbers and the bad points in the hemagram.
I'm currently supplementing for that, and in a week my hgb went up from 12.0 to 12.6.

There's room to go up on Vitamin D as well.

It will be interesting to see what the reverse T3 comes back as when it comes back.

The Free t's look low in the normal range but what do I know.

I wont be going back to him until all the info is back from the tests, which will be at least 2 weeks because some of them had to be sent out.

I'm definitely going to be adding some iodine but wanted the thryroid tests to be over with before I started playing with that.

Last edited by LizardQuee : Sat, Mar-10-18 at 09:36.
Reply With Quote
  #11   ^
Old Sat, Mar-10-18, 18:40
nawchem's Avatar
nawchem nawchem is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 8,701
 
Plan: No gluten, CAD
Stats: 196.0/158.5/149.0 Female 62
BF:36/29.0/27.3
Progress: 80%
Default

I'm so happy for you, that naturopath sounds like a winner! Did they tell you to take vit C with iron? I think it increases absorption...
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 21:31.


Copyright © 2000-2024 Active Low-Carber Forums @ forum.lowcarber.org
Powered by: vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.